ITINERARIES; MEMO PAD

By JOE SHARKEY

Published: April 18, 2006

SECURITY SURPRISES AHEAD -- Security screening procedures at airports are ''overly rigid, static and predictable,'' Kip Hawley, the head of the Transportation Security Administration, told the Senate Commerce Committee recently. As a result, the agency plans to build more ''flexibility and unpredictability'' into the screening process, he said, and cited the success of a recent test program at 10 airports in which random secondary screenings of passengers were conducted ''regardless of whether a passenger cleared the walk-through metal detector or a carry-on bag successfully passed through the X-ray machine.'' The agency is also developing a plan, based on another test project, to train screeners to recognize patterns of behavior, he said. ''If a passenger was identified as exhibiting behaviors indicative of fear, stress and/or deception, they were either referred for additional screening or referred for selectee screening and an evaluation interview with a law enforcement officer.''

ON THE OTHER HAND -- The Transportation Security Administration ''has achieved significant accomplishments'' in passenger and baggage screening, acknowledges Cathleen A. Berrick, a director of homeland security issues at the Government Accountability Office. But, she recently told the Senate Commerce Committee, the agency ''may have difficulty maintaining a screening work force that possesses the critical skills needed to perform at a desired level.'' Given the agency's mix of full-time and part-time employees, ''it is critical that the T. S. A. carefully consider how it strategically hires, deploys and trains'' its screeners, she said.

AIRLINE CHECK-IN AT HILTON -- Printing an airline boarding pass on your laptop at the hotel the day before your departure is often a chore requiring a visit to the business center -- when it is open. Now, guests at 37 Hilton Hotels in the United States and Canada can check in and print boarding passes for 18 major airlines -- using those airlines' Web sites -- at lobby kiosks already used for hotel check-in and check-out. There is no charge for the service.

REGIONAL JETS SURGE -- Major airlines are using more regional jets these days, and March passenger operations data from Republic Airways underscore the trend. Republic's revenue passenger miles -- one paying passenger flown one mile -- were up 45.3 percent for the month compared with March 2005. Capacity was up 38 percent, and total passengers rose 32.1 percent. Republic operates regional jets for airline partners like American Connection, Delta Connection, United Express and US Air Express. It has about 850 flights daily to 81 cities.

PHOENIX AIRPORT IMPROVEMENTS -- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport won federal approval on Friday for several improvement projects, including a new 33-gate West Terminal to accommodate an increase in international flights. Passenger traffic at the airport grew to 39.5 million in 2004 from 6.9 million in 1980.

EMBRAER AND BUSINESS JETS -- Reflecting a new emphasis on its business jet lines, Embraer of Brazil says it expects to deliver 25 to 30 Legacy jets this year, compared with 14 in 2005. The Legacy is a $23.6 million 16-passenger executive jet. Embraer is also developing a new line of so-called very light jets, the Phenom 100 and the slightly larger Phenom 300, with initial deliveries next year. For its main commercial regional jet aircraft, Embraer said that 17 of its 27 regional jet deliveries in the first quarter of this year were its new models in the 70- to 110-seat niche, larger and more spacious than conventional regional jets. JOE SHARKEY